Spotlight
by greeniiis
Summary: What if Zuko didn't have to become fire lord? What if before he helps Aang build empire city, he does a favor for his uncle? This is my version of what happened. This story follows an original character of mine and her interaction with the prince Rated m just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

The morning sun warmed my face as it crept through my window, stirring me awake. It was my favorite way to wake up. A lazy smile stretched onto my face as I slowly got out of bed. "Morning" I heard my mother call to me as I walked into the kitchen. It was small and cramped with little to no space but my mom always seemed to make due. The small room never seemed to lessen her creativity. "what's for breakfast?" I asked as I pulled I a stool. "stewed sea prunes" she said, waving her hand over the bowl proudly. Five mushy blobs could be seen bobbing in a dark, thick, dreadful smelling liquid. "It's a traditional water tribe dish." I looked at the lackluster "food" apprehensively. "Actually, I'm starting this new diet today and..." I never finished my sentence because I was quickly out the door before my mom could rebuttal.

Fresh air filled my head like perfume, and put me in a dizzying mood. Swaying side to side, I walked up the hill that was next to my house. Like many hills on the island, it over looked the ocean. So, I guess there was nothing special about it. It wasn't the tallest hill or the greenest, but in my mind, it was the most beautiful place in the world, and the perfect place to draw. When I reached the top, it was like the whole world opened. Crystal blue water stretched across the horizon, and the crashing sound of the waves against the rocks won out any other noise. Like always, I sat down on the top of the hill, leaning against the old tree. I never could figure out what kind of tree it was but it didn't seem native. The knobs twisted at odd angles and the branches thinned out so much at the ends, that they bended and swayed in the breeze. Not only that, but there was a myriad of them. In some places, it was like standing under a canopy. However, in my little spot, I had a clear view of the ocean. The place where I sat was almost void of bark from all my rubbing against it. Taking in a deep breath, I pulled out my sketch pad and set to work with pen on paper. From my mouth came a nameless tune I often hummed "mmmm…mm..mm…mmmm." I stroked the page with my instrument until a pair of eyes emerged. They were large and bright, like that of a child's. The nose came next, something simple so it didn't take away from the all-around expression. I added big goofy ears, and a large infectious smile. Taking a second to stop and examine my work, I decided something was missing. I raked over my brain trying to figure out what it was but nothing seemed right. Hair seemed to take away from how unusual he looked. While leaving him bald was too plain. Frustrated, I crumpled of the drawing and threw it over the hill. I liked to imagine that I was sending the pictures to another world; it sounds much better than littering. I tried again, this time drawing a more familiar face. An awkward disposition, frizzy brown hair, buck teeth, and shy but beautiful brown eyes. An oversized robe and unfortunate pig tails topped it off; it was the spitting image of my mom when she was a girl.

One time when I was sifting through old junk we had in our attic, I came across a picture of her. When I pushed the dust off the image it revealed a scrawny, awkward looking girl. I would have never thought it was my mother, since the image was in such contrast to what she looks like now, but when I brought the picture to her she nearly tore up the thing with her teeth, and made me swear I would never show another soul. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why she was so embarrassed. Everyone had awkward teen years.

I finished the picture with a winning smile. no matter how my mom changed she still had the same comforting, loving, and bright smile. It never left her face and I admired her for it.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed I was sitting in a shadow. The trees shadow had stretched on and past the cliff. "crap" I said, gathering up my things "not again". As quickly as I could, I ran down the hill and made my way towards town.

By the time I got to town, it was already starting to get dark. The yellow shop lights illuminated the streets as the vendors shamelessly swindled the wealthy tourists. "Such a great deal nephew! Can you believe it?" I glanced to the old man going on about his new find. They were in fact beautiful but I knew for a fact that they were extremely overpriced. I didn't have time to secretly judge people though, seeing how I was running late for work. The old man and his companion disappeared into the blur of the crowd. That's just how things were here. Ember island was a huge tourist hub. People were here one day and gone the next. Sensing that my thoughts were making me doddle, I quickened my pace.

Finally, I reached it; Mondela, the crown jewel of the city. Or at least, in my eyes it was. To others, it was a simple brick building with wooden pillars, weathered by tropical storms. It was a small and modest restaurant. The only thing decorative about the outside was the beautiful stained glass windows. It wasn't fancy but it was the perfect spot for locals. Great food for a great price.

Quickly, I slipped in through the back and put on my black apron. "You're late" came a gruff beside me. I looked over to see my boss, Henry. He scratched his scraggly beard and gave me an annoyed but uncaring look. "I lost track of time" I said in an apologetic voice, giving him my most pitiful puppy dog eyes. "bah" he said, swatting the air "one day you need to get yourself a clock." I smiled, knowing I was off the hook, "will do sir." He swatted the air again as he turned to leave; he knew I was lying. When he left, I walked up to the mirror, next to the door, that led to the main room. It would take a couple of minutes for my section to fill up so I took the time to make sure I looked ok. My long black hair was pulled back into a loose bun. My pale complexion was turned rosy from running to get here at a decent time. At Mondela, there was no official uniform so I wore a simple dark green robe that hung loosely around my frame. "Decent" I decided for myself as I walked out to greet my first customer.

It was about halfway through the night when I got the signal to finish up with my last table. "You're up Asheton" Henry said as he walked past, tending to some forms. A large smile broke out on my face. The people at my table glanced at me as they were settling the check. "you leaving?" the woman question idly. She and her husband were new to the restaurant. "No" I replied, unable to keep the cheer out of my voice, "just switching jobs."

I walked back to my "dressing room", which was just the cramped employ bathroom with a cloudy mirror. Quickly, I shimmied off my robe to reveal my slightly skimpier dark green dress underneath. It too was simple in design, but the bottom fell only four inches below my knee. It hugged my body tightly and greatly enhanced my curves. Next I applied a touch of mascara. I never needed much of it since I was gifted with naturally long eyelashes but my features tended to get drowned out under those bright lights. After putting on my makeup, I stepped back, examining myself in the mirror. Large almond shaped brown eyes stared back at me. They were the only thing I had inherited from my mom. "well other than my figure" I said to myself before taking one last look.

"Almost" I said before reaching up to untie the binds of my hair. I watched with relish as it fell, tumbling down my shoulders before resting at my hips. Even when I felt my most unattractive, I always took pride in my hair. It shimmered like the night itself. It fluttered past me as I walked back into the main room and up to the stage. The "stage" was a slightly raised platform with a microphone on it and instruments for the band to use. I heard them start up as I approached. A smile played on my lips.

When I first starting doing this, I would rush to the stage eagerly, but since then I've realized that the performance didn't just start when you got on stage. It started before you got there too. You had to set an atmosphere.

Me taking my time to get to the stage allowed the audience time to direct their attention to me. The sound of utensils clanking slowly ended and I nodded to the band to start the song up.

 _I'm over it. You've won, I quit._

 _This constant war, I can't deal with it_

 _. I'm done, no more. White flags galore._

 _can't bring myself to care anymore._

 _You were fire, you made me melt but there's nothing left but puddles you tread on._

 _And maybe there's still something to be felt but I can't bring myself to dredge on._

I opened my eyes to find about 30 pairs staring back at mine. I let sorrow fill them and I sang as if addressing them all.

 _I'm over it. You've won, I quit. This constant war, I can't deal with it_

My eyebrows knitted together, and a tired look donned my features as I tried to express to the crowd; and this imaginary other person, my exhaustion and my need to be understood.

 _I'm done, no more. White flags galore._

 _can't bring myself to care anymore._

My hand reached out to point to a few of them, ensnaring their attention.

 _And you might think I'm over reacting_.

Curling my arm up, I gripped my hair, pulling it slightly at the scalp. It stings a little but I simply let the pain slip into my performance. I look up with wide eyes to appear crazy.

 _And you might think I've gone insane._

 _But honey when I look at you, you know, it's not just the saaaaaame._

As I sang that last part, my hand left my hair and reached for the sky before falling to my side limply.

 _I'm over it…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Peace before the storm**

When I finished, the stage lights cut off, leaving me momentarily blind. I could hear a respectable amount of applause from amidst the darkness and I bowed even though they couldn't see me. It was truly an honor and I cherished every moment I had on stage. "come on" Henry said as he shuffled me to the back "you know the drill." I groaned softly; remorseful to leave center stage so quickly, but also because I knew exactly what "the drill" was.

A pile of dirty plates was neatly stacked on the counter waiting for me. Henry couldn't afford to hire a dish washer and so he had to make do with what staff he had. I remember the day it became my permanent job.

It was after a long day of work. I slid into Henry's office as quietly as I could. I had practiced my speech for hours while I was working. I even got a few weird looks from customers who thought I was talking to myself. "change is always good… and um.. who doesn't like music?" my forehead had a permanent red spot from me hitting it repeatedly. However, when I walked through the door, my mind went blank. I couldn't remember a word I had rehearsed and it didn't help that his bad mood was practically palpable. He looked up at me from his paperwork with tired bloodshot eyes. His hand was gripping what was left of his messy hair, and his lips formed into an open snarl. "what?" he barked. I tried my best not to flinch. "I umm.." he made an irritated sound to show that he was losing patience. So, I drew in a long breath to calm myself and just spat it out. "I want to sing." His look was puzzled so I added "at the restaurant." For a long time he said nothing; his expression didn't change, but I could tell that behind his eyes, the wheels were turning as he considered the options. Slowly, his hands came to fold in front of him. He looked me over critically. Cold sweat dripped down my neck as I felt him assessing me. Mondela was Henry's pride and joy. He took any decision about it very seriously. "Sure" he finally said. My mouth nearly hung open with shock. "seriously?" Henry never used the word sure. Or at least not about Mondela. "There will be some conditions" he added, but I was already too far up to hear him. "whatever you want, I'll do it!" I exclaimed, and that's what landed me here.

My arms were elbow deep in suds while I scrubbed, and sweat started to form on my brow from keeping my hands in the hot water for so long. I hated every moment of it, but it was worth it for those few minutes of magic. An old stain had my attention for a while as I scrubbed it vigorously but it was to no avail. Even when I scarped it with my fingernail, it wouldn't budge. "Henry should really get new pans." I muttered.

I softly hummed to myself as I worked. It was the only upside to the job. I could sing or hum in peace and no one would care. The noises from the kitchen slowly ended as they finished up their last order. Soon following; the clanking sound of dishes and the buss of talking and laughter faded as well. "see ya later ash" one of the cooks said to me as he left for the night. I said goodbye and sighed, knowing that I would be here for a while. Absentmindedly, I reached for the soup and tried to apply more of it to my sponge but it was empty. My eyebrows furrowed and I looked under the sink to find another one, but there was none to be found. "Henry" I called, knowing he was probably the only one left in the restaurant. "Henry." There was no answer. "It's never too early to go on a break." I mumbled to myself as I shook the water and soap off my hands and went to go look for him.

A sliver of light, coming from Henry's office illuminated the hallway. Henry's office was right next to the dining area. I once asked him if it bothered him. I was sure that all the noise from the customers would distract him from his work but he simply laughed and asked how else was he supposed to know that the customers were ok if he couldn't hear them? Nothing was too small for his attention. Everything had to be perfect, and if I customer so much as sighed the wrong way, it meant hell for us employees. Still, I admired his passion and dedication. A small smile found my lips as I thought this. 'we are his elite team'. It was a silly thought but it made me straighten up my posture. I walked with confident strides to his room, but I was stopped by five words. "Alright, I'm ready to sell."


End file.
